“I’d like everyone to make $100,000. I’d like to make $100,000,” Caswell said. “There isn’t enough money coming into the state to do what we’ve been doing. We’re never going to get bigger until the pie is bigger.”

But approaching education the way it’s always been done isn’t good enough, Caswell said.

“It’s embarrassing to have any school in the state turning out kids who can’t read or write year after year,” he said. “We have to accept that we can do better.”

Scott Manning, a member of the Constantine Public Schools Board of Education, told Caswell he agreed that the status-quo isn’t working but neither is “knee-jerk” reaction or the bullying tactics of some recent legislation.